Screeching at Midnight
by veronica.toon.7
Summary: Set during 358/2 Days. Xemnas has a pet barn owl that escapes one night and freaks out the Organization members at the time. Let the humor and chaos reign!


**So... what happens when the author thinks about the Organization owning pets and then decides Xemnas should own a barn owl and then she decides to do an entire story about it? Well you read it and you tell me. By the way, this takes place in an alternate 358/2 where Xion has some more time to exist in the game itself.**

 **I don't own Kingdom Hearts in any way. I don't own the cover image either. I only own the barn owl in this story!**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

It was calm outside, no stars, just Kingdom Hearts glowing over the Castle that Never Was. Many of the Nobodies lay asleep in their beds, while the busy few lay awake finishing reports or other matters.

One was doing neither.

Xemnas. No. 1, the Superior-in-Between. Leader of Organization XIII.

His steps echoed across the floor as he passed by the pillars, illuminated by Kingdom Hearts an eerie white.

A passage way, only know by him, was coming up. He kept walking towards it and the door opened up automatically, allowing him to pass. The room he entered was dark.

In the middle of the room, there was a pedestal and on top of it was an oval structure covered by a white cloth. He came over a lifted the cloth over the object, revealing it to be an ornate silver bird cage. He looked inside and a faint ghost of a smile crossed his lips.

"Hello, Percheon."

From inside the cage, a young, heart-faced owl screeched a hello back. Black eyes greatly stood out in contrast to his pure white face and belly. From his back, you could see beautiful tawny and black-speckled feathers going down to the back of his wings and tail feathers.

Percheon was a barn owl.

Using a leather flying strap and a thick, black glove over his own, he gently coaxed the owl out onto his hand and took him out of his cage, firmly tying to his leg the strap so he wouldn't escape. Using his free hand, he lightly ran it over under Percheon's chin. The owl cooed and shut his eyes at the pleasant feeling.

"You like that, don't you? If I had heart, this would be the part where I would say that you're my favorite bird in the world," he said. Percheon gave a small screech in reply.

Xemnas petted and held him for a few more minutes before going to get Percheon's meal, one half cup of chicken pieces. He set the owl down on a perch before his cage.

"I'll be right back with your meal, so stay put Percheon," he ordered. The owl screeched his reply. Another ghost smile graced Xemnas' face before he moved towards another passageway connected to the room.

Unfortunately, the leash holding Percheon was loosely put, so with just one slight movement, the trap came loose. Now with no more restraints holding him back, Percheon spread out his wings and flew over to a window sill with the window partially cracked open to let some fresh air in. The owl stuck his face through and pushed hard until his entire body went through.

Now he was free as a... well, you know.

Spreading out his wings completely and catching part of the weak thermals caused by Kingdom Heart's heat, he took flight and started flying in the direction of the rest of the castle.

* * *

Xemnas returned not a minute later, carrying an owl perch and a rope with a piece of meat at the end, for training purposes of course. He froze as his eyes landed on the limp owl leash with no owl connected to it, then to the partially, cracked-open window.

He quickly walked over to it and opened it completely. He scanned the skies of any sign of his beloved pet. Seeing no owl, he pulled his head back in and shut the window tightly. The only thoughts going through his head right now were, _"Have to find him! Have to find him! Have to find him before anyone else does!"_

* * *

Since there was no sun in the World that Never Was and only Kingdom Hearts to provide any outside light, it was very difficult to tell the time there. Aside from Luxord, and his power over time, the Nobodies used clocks or watches to tell the time, mainly when to get up or when to go to bed. By the looks of things now in the Grey Room, it appeared to be, meh, about early morning or mid-afternoon.

Xaldin was sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper, from another world of course, I mean it's not like they have 'The Printing Press that Never Was' in the basement or something like that, right?

Xigbar was leaned up against the wall reading a gun magazine.

Demyx was sitting on another couch, 'away from the psycho lancer' as he put it, and strumming his sitar. Obviously.

Saix was standing in the back, clipboard at hand on which he was scribbling some notes with a pen.

Axel was sitting on another couch with his two buddies, Roxas and Xion, on either side of him.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Percheon had flown over the Grey Room and had managed to sneak in undetected. He now was perched upon a metal beam just above the hallway that lead into the Grey Room. He looked down on the Nobodies like his master below. And curiosity then got the better of him.

* * *

Demyx was strumming a tune on his sitar, one he had been repeating for the past few minutes, despite the few protests of "shut up" or "if you don't shut up, I will..." and so on. He had taken a pause to scribble down his notes on his music sheet, when... he heard something.

He clutched the neck of his sitar as he heard a screech, not like any he had heard before. It wasn't like a screech the heartless that he faced sometimes gave out. It was much too high pitched, too loud. Too... ghostly.

He uttered a small "meep" and slowly picked himself off the couch and walked towards his boss. Saix. Xemnas's right-hand man and No. 7 in the Organization, despite there being a No. 2 already there as well. The Lunar Diviner had long, blue hair that crested at the top, gold eyes and pale skin with the only exception being a X-shaped scar on his face, across his nose. When he noticed the Melodious Nocturne heading towards him to hide behind, he grasped said-nocturne's sleeve and pulled him over to look straight at him.

"What do you think your doing No. 9," he asked, his voice as hollow and emotionless as his expression was. Demyx stared up at him and squealed silently like a guinea pig caught in the sight of a hungry hawk.

"Um, 'c-cause there's something here that sounds... spooky," he replied sheepishly. He then heard Xigbar reply from the wall he was leaning against.

"Ha, as if. The only thing that sounds spooky around here is when you play that overgrown guitar of yours," he chuckled. Demyx stood erect again and stomped his foot.

"For the hundredth time, Xiggy, IT'S A SITAR, NOT A GUITAR," he yelled. Xigbar nearly snorted and went back to flipping a page in his magazine.

"No. 9, if that is all you have to say, the leave now before I lose my patience with you," Saix said. Demyx turned around with a look of disbelief on his face.

"But I'm telling you Saix. I heard something and it wasn't a heartless, it was something else and I think we should- wah! AAHHHHH!"

At that moment, curiosity got the best of Percheon and he swooped down with a loud screech down on Demyx, or more accurately his hairstyle. Demyx screamed and fell down backwards on his back with Percheon grasping onto the front of his cloak with his talons. With wide eyes with dilated pupils he stared at the white face of the barn owl, staring back with black eyes deeply contrasting against the paleness of his feathers. Percheon screeched a hello at Demyx.

Demyx fainted.

"WHAT the-? Well, lookey what we have here," Xigbar said as he closed his magazine and placed it on the couch arm as he walked over to the passed-out nobody on the floor with the owl standing on his chest. Percheon stared at the sniper slowly approaching him, followed shortly by Xaldin and then Axel with the two keyblade-wielders.

"Whoa. What is it Axel," Xion, the raven-haired girl asked.

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it. Is it a heartless or some sort of dusk," the golden-haired boy, Roxas, asked. The man with red hair like the flames he fought with leaned in to take a closer look.

"Hmm, looks like an owl of some sort," he replied.

"Tyto alba, or the barn owl, I believe it is called," Saix said, not even looking up from his clipboard to see the owl all the other members were looking at. Percheon just looked at all of them, curiosity evident in his eyes as he took in the faces and expression of all of them.

"Thank you mister walking encyclopedia," Axel replied. Saix humphed and wrote on some paper with a pen.

"Cool, but why is it here," Xion asked.

"That's the question on everyone's minds here, poppet," Xigbar replied. Axel shot him a look that clearly said, _"Say that one more time and let's see what happens."_ Xigbar smirked and shot back a look that said, _"Bring it on."_

"A creature that still has a heart shouldn't be here in a world where those with no hearts exist," Xaldin mentioned.

"Well, I can shoot it if you're desperate," Xigbar said, summoning his guns. Percheon grew uneasy at the weapons coming out of midair.

"No! Don't hurt it," Xion cried out. Percheon began to spread out his wings and lower his head as a form of intimidation. Just then, Demyx began to come too. He looked around with dazed aqua eyes before setting them towards Percheon, who let out a loud hiss. Demyx screamed and started flailing his arms about. Percheon spread out his wings entirely and lifted into flight off the squirming man. He headed towards the open part of the Grey Room and flew straight outside again. The other Nobodies watched as he flew away. Demyx brushed himself off and got to his feet.

"See! SEE! I told you! I told you, but did any of you believe me? No, 'cause you all think I got water in my brain," he exclaimed, quite loudly by the way. Xigbar reached out and clasped his hand firmly on Demyx's shoulder.

"Yeah well, it's not like there's a way for you to make your brain less soggy, now is there," he asked teasingly. Demyx glared before pouting and crossing his arms against his cloak that now had talon marks thanks to Percheon's lift-off.

"Where do you think it's going, Axel," Roxas asked. Axel sighed.

"I don't know, but hopefully somewhere better than this place," he replied.

* * *

Percheon flew away from the startled Organization members till he was flying above some turrets. Feeling his wings getting tired, he headed towards a railing in-between some pillars and alighted down. Fortunately for him, Xemnas was standing nearby and so he saw his owl fly down and land where he could be safely caught and put back into his cage.

Percheon heard Xemnas approach and chirped and clicked happily as he saw him come near him. Xemnas held out his arm to let Percheon hop on and tightly secured the leash over his leg.

"You gave me quite a scare, you know," he said. Percheon cooed and rubbed his head against the fingers gently running across his feathers.

"Hope you didn't give the others much of one either." And with that being said, Xemnas began walking back to the room where Percheon would be fed and kept with hopefully no more escapades out a partially-cracked open window.

* * *

Moral of the story: If you own a owl, be a responsible owner and if you have to open a window, be sure the mesh screen is closed so your owl can't escape and frighten your fellow colleagues.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed the little story I came up with. I thought Xemnas would be more partial to barn owls because of their heart-shaped faces, since, well, you know about his obsession with Kingdom Hearts, right? They really are beautiful birds. The mister walking encyclopedia thing is actually a nickname for me, so I just decided to use it.**

 **Please review and tell me how I did. Remember: reviews are loved and cherished. Sincerely, v.t.7**


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